According to the filing papers released by the Department of Justice this week, 36-year-old Mark Riddell was allegedly the one “to secretly take college entrance exams in place of students or to correct the students’ answers after they had taken the exam.”To get the children of stars like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman into colleges like University of Southern California, Rick Singer, the mastermind of the college admissions scam dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, had to enlist a perfect exam taker to secure SAT and ACT scores that weren’t too high and, of course, weren’t too low. “Singer would discuss with their clients what kind of score they were looking for. If your daughter took the SAT on her own the first time and got a particular score, retaking the exam, if her score goes up too much, that would invite scrutiny,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said in a news conference Tuesday. “So Singer would discuss with parents what kind of score was impressive, but not too impressive, and then would instruct Riddell to attempt to get that score. And he was just good enough to do it.”Riddell, who Lelling described as "just a really smart guy," got his start on the legal side of exam support as the director of the College Entrance Exam and Preparation for IMG Academy, a private school in Bradenton, Florida, according to the The Bradenton Herald. (IMG Academy reportedly wiped his bio from its website on Tuesday, but according to an archived version of the site, Riddell began working at the school in 2006.) IMG released a statement Wednesday that said, “Riddell has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate this matter.”That background might explain how Riddell would be able to so expertly assess the scores as to not draw attention. He was willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, too, according to the filing papers. In one instance, it's alleged he was enlisted to secretly change a student’s ACT scores after the boy completed the exam — after Singer bribed the administrator to let him do so. But the boy fell ill and became unable to travel to Houston for the test, so Riddell allegedly flew to Texas to take the test in the teenager’s place. In July 2018, the parent allegedly provided Singer with a sample of her son’s handwriting “so that Riddell could imitate it when taking the exam in his place,” according to the filing papers. The sample was sent to Riddell, who flew to Houston from Tampa and took the exam in his hotel room. After the exam, Riddell allegedly predicted he would score a 35 out of 36 on the exam. He scored a 35. Singer was allegedly paid $25 million by parents in his scheme between 2011 and 2018. For his part, Riddell allegedly made $10,000 a test and got involved in 2013. Riddell is being charged with two criminal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, honest services mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.Lelling said of Riddell at the news conference: "He didn't have inside information about the answers, he was just smart enough to get a near perfect score on demand or to calibrate the score.”

According to the filing papers released by the Department of Justice this week, 36-year-old Mark Riddell was allegedly the one “to secretly take college entrance exams in place of students or to correct the students’ answers after they had taken the exam.”

To get the children of stars like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman into colleges like University of Southern California, Rick Singer, the mastermind of the college admissions scam dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, had to enlist a perfect exam taker to secure SAT and ACT scores that weren’t too high and, of course, weren’t too low.

Actress Felicity Huffman arrvies at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles, on March 12, 2019.

“Singer would discuss with their clients what kind of score they were looking for. If your daughter took the SAT on her own the first time and got a particular score, retaking the exam, if her score goes up too much, that would invite scrutiny,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said in a news conference Tuesday. “So Singer would discuss with parents what kind of score was impressive, but not too impressive, and then would instruct Riddell to attempt to get that score. And he was just good enough to do it.”

Riddell, who Lelling described as "just a really smart guy," got his start on the legal side of exam support as the director of the College Entrance Exam and Preparation for IMG Academy, a private school in Bradenton, Florida, according to the The Bradenton Herald. (IMG Academy reportedly wiped his bio from its website on Tuesday, but according to an archived version of the site, Riddell began working at the school in 2006.) IMG released a statement Wednesday that said, “Riddell has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate this matter.”

That background might explain how Riddell would be able to so expertly assess the scores as to not draw attention. He was willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, too, according to the filing papers. In one instance, it's alleged he was enlisted to secretly change a student’s ACT scores after the boy completed the exam — after Singer bribed the administrator to let him do so. But the boy fell ill and became unable to travel to Houston for the test, so Riddell allegedly flew to Texas to take the test in the teenager’s place. In July 2018, the parent allegedly provided Singer with a sample of her son’s handwriting “so that Riddell could imitate it when taking the exam in his place,” according to the filing papers. The sample was sent to Riddell, who flew to Houston from Tampa and took the exam in his hotel room. After the exam, Riddell allegedly predicted he would score a 35 out of 36 on the exam. He scored a 35.

Singer was allegedly paid $25 million by parents in his scheme between 2011 and 2018. For his part, Riddell allegedly made $10,000 a test and got involved in 2013. Riddell is being charged with two criminal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, honest services mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Lelling said of Riddell at the news conference: "He didn't have inside information about the answers, he was just smart enough to get a near perfect score on demand or to calibrate the score.”